Background:Preeclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy, affectingtwo to eight percentages of all pregnanciesworldwide. Important aspects of the causal mechanisms of preeclampsia are still unknown. It is however reason to believe that preeclampsia consists of several subtypes and various causal mechanisms canbe involved. The role of obesity, excessive gestational weight gain and maternal diet in the risk of preeclampsia has recently received increased attention.Thesis question:Are there differences regarding gestational weight gain, select blood sample parametres and dietary habits between primiparous women who develop preeclampsia, and those who do not?Methods:The study sample of Preeclampsia in the Fit for Delivery Study consists of 550 primiparous women recruited to the Fit for Delivery randomised controlled trialduring the years of 2009-2013. The quantitative analysis performed in the Preeclampsia in the Fit for Delivery studyis based on the longitudinal part of the data material of the Fit for Delivery Study. Results: •Those who developed preeclampsia gained significantly more weight than those who did not. •Those who developed preeclampsia had lower levels ofserum-High Density Lipoprotein (s-HDL). The differencecan be considered borderline significant. •Those who developed preeclampsia reported that they added significantly less salt to their meals than those who did not develop preeclampsia.Conclusion: Those who developed preeclampsia gained significantly more weight than those who did not. More research is needed to understand the association between weight gain in pregnancy and risk of preeclampsia.Keywords:Preeclampsia, primipara, gestational weight gain, diet

Masteroppgave folkehelsevitenskap - Universitetet i Agder 2016